Forget the iPad, seems we're all buying Telescopes this Christmas…

Well, it’s not exactly a new product, but John Lewis report that telescopes are flying off the shelves this year as Christmas buying gets underway. Sales of telescopes are up 148% since last year, and this week they have sold 78% more than last week.

John Lewis currently stocks six telescopes ranging from the entry level FirstScope, £39.95 to the Short Reflector, to the £350 with NexStar computer control technology.

Perhaps the Hadron Accelerator has got everyone interested in science this year.. or maybe it was NASA’s announcement of the alien life forms found on a meteorite in California. Or maybe we’re all just looking for a bit of starry escapism.